Press Release
Congressman McHenry Announces $434,589 Homeland Security Grant to Claremont Fire Department in Catawba CountyU.S. Department of Homeland Security awards SAFER Grant funds to local department
Washington,
September 18, 2019
Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) announced $434,589 in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant to a local fire department in the Tenth Congressional District.
The grant will go to the Claremont Fire Department in Catawba County and comes in the fourth round of this year’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant awards. These grants assist local fire departments by enabling them to increase their staffing and deployment capabilities in order to respond to emergencies whenever they may occur. Local departments applied for the grants from the program which is administered by the Grant Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. According to Claremont Fire Chief Bart Travis, the grant will fund a Coordinator of Recruitment and Retention position. This full-time position will be responsible for volunteer and professional firefighter recruitment as well as fostering volunteerism in the community. They will also develop and implement retention strategies for current firefighters. “Claremont has experienced significant industrial growth in recent years and this grant will allow the Claremont Fire Department to add needed fire professionals to their ranks to continue to meet the needs of such a growing area,” said Congressman McHenry. “The SAFER Grant is extremely competitive and I commend Chief Travis and his department for writing an innovative and compelling grant.” A panel of fire experts at DHS awards SAFER grants through a competitive review process. Congressman McHenry hosts workshops for 10th District EMS and fire departments to help guide personnel through the process and give them an inside view of what the committee looks for. The workshops are taught by Cherryville Fire Chief Jeff Cash, a nationally recognized expert in his field and former member of DHS’s AFG review committee Claremont is one of seven Tenth District departments to receive SAFER funding in the FY 2018 grant cycle with a total of $2,809,167 in SAFER funds having been awarded among those departments. Grants will continue to be announced in weekly rounds throughout the coming months. |